Febraury 23th – 24th (0800hrs – 1700hrs)
Friday Morning
The Winning Mindset: Preparing for the Possible
Frank Leeb (Deputy Assistant Chief, FDNY)
Drawing on his more than two decades of leadership in the FDNY spanning his 30-plus-year career and more than 40 years of volunteer (EFFD) firefighting experience, Chief Leeb will deliver real-world lessons learned and best practices from emergency responses. Each of the examples presented will be from his personal experience. Chief Leeb will emphasize the importance of the winning mindset, playing to win, training, teamwork, fireground strategy and tactics, large-scale emergency response, extinguishment, search and safety cultures and how they coexist for optimal outcomes, problem-solving, leadership development, decision-making, how process drives outcome, understanding and working with the media, health wellness and cancer in the fire service, improving soft skills, the power of knowing what you don’t know, staying learnable and motivating your team. From the chief to the probie, you will leave this presentation motivated and better prepared for any emergency response. Are you prepared for the possible?
Friday Afternoon
Flash Point: Forge a Winning Team Culture
Frank Viscuso (Deputy Chief – retired, Kearny Fire Department)
Based on the content in his newly released Amazon Best Selling book titled FLASH POINT, Chief Viscuso draws comparisons between the four most common stages of team development and the four stages of fire – Incipient, Growth, Fully Developed and Decay. During this highly-motivational talk, Chief Viscuso will explain why some teams are consumed with Drama and Conflict while others thrive under pressure. Attendees will be introduced to the 8 essential steps they will need to take for them to reach their peak performance as individuals and team leaders.
Saturday Morning
Florida-Specific Firefighting
Bill Gustin (Captain, Miami-Dade Fire/Rescue Training Division)
This classroom session will examine tactics for fighting fires in modern lightweight “engineered” construction and why wood frame apartment complexes popping up all over the state are such a conflagration hazard. Learn why their floor assemblies, supported by lightweight engineered parallel chord floor trusses, are considered the “balloon frame construction of the 21st century” and why sprinklers are no guarantee that a building will not be destroyed by fire. Examine the deficiencies that give non-sprinklered mid- and high-rise condominiums, permitted in this state, the potential for multiple-fatality fires. Additionally, the class will examine techniques for defeating windows and garage doors that are rated to withstand hurricane-force winds. Learn when supplying fire department connections (FDCs) is a necessity, not just a precaution and alternatives to supplying systems when there are no functional FDCs. Additionally, the class will examine how to properly stop the flow of sprinklers before water damage becomes costlier than damage from fire.
Saturday Afternoon
Leadership From the Bottom Up!
Dr. Candace Ashby (Battalion Chief, Indianapolis Fire Department)
Micromanagement, lack of direction, poor communication, and no accountability can lead to low morale, lack of trust, and complacency issues which leave most people feeling tired, frustrated, and stressed.
This fun and engaging personal leadership development class is designed to be a swift kick in the ass whether you are a new hire or 40+ year Fire Chief! No matter your time or rank or type of department, if you truly love this job, you will walk away from this class fired up to help bring positive change!
This no-nonsense lecture discusses real issues plaguing the fire service along with tactics on how to improve communications, build morale, increase productivity, enhance innovation, and provide better customer service! Warning: This is not your typical leadership class or for the faint of heart.